Caelid, with its beautiful crimson skies, gnarled thorn trees, bloodthirsty wildlife, and swamps that will literally kill you if you stand in them for too long; why did Shaw go here? Good question…
Things started out easy enough, a Dragon Church here, a catacomb there.
An encampment where the dogs were fighting the soldiers; let them slaughter each other. Apparently, this is know as rune farming; there is a commentary to be made there, or maybe a joke? I’m too tired.
Shaw had seen these swords before, but she could remember if she was able to interact with them. In any case, simply a nice lore poem.
That big castle off in the distance looked like the next obvious destination. The cormorans at Shaw’s feet seemed to be saying: “Good luck” or “where’s my fish?”
A closer look at the bonfires in the camp revealed some disturbing details.
Met a fellow named Gowry in a rundown shack, now Shaw isn’t one to judge, but he looked like a heroin addict and he was beseeching her to retrieve for him, a golden needle. Shaw did not wish to be an enabler, but on the other hand, this man lives in Caelid.
Shaw did some sightseeing in the magical town of Sellia. She managed to clear the place out of ne’er-do-wells, but not without collecting a few souvenirs in the process.
Anyway, so Shaw eventually made it Redmane Castle, leaving not a single guard, soldier, or beast standing in the keep. She was confident, she was cocky. She went through the sickly yellow mistwall. She killed the Misbegotten Warrior with a few sword slashes. Then, the Crucible Knight showed up and proceed to fuck her shit up. Rinse and repeat. Fuck this guy.
After that miserable, fruitless experience, Shaw started looking for lesser challenges. Perhaps this soldier with the mundane appellation Commander O’Neil, hanging about in the swamp. Nope. After multiple attempts. Fuck this guy, as well, or in particular? No, the Crucible Knight can go fuck himself more.
Anyway, so back to Liurnia it would be, where Shaw met this charming young lad. He was going to ask Shaw for help, but apparently her hands weren’t silky smooth enough? He was one to talk, with his bumpy, cracking fingers.
Perhaps it was time to attempt Radahn?
A yes, this gargantuan monstrosity feasting on the remains of former tarnished would be a cakewalk!
He seemed far too eager to fight.
And so it was written. Shaw defeated him on her first attempt, with barely a scratch. What he lacked in challenge, he more than made up with in pure spectacle. A showman to the end. Respect, Radahn.
After the fight, Shaw talked with Alexander for a bit. He seemed ashamed of having run away from the fight when things got too difficult. For a reason she couldn’t quite explain, this cracked Shaw’s stoic facade, and she teared up a little.
Blaidd also stuck around for a brief chat.
Back at the Roundtable Hold, Shaw gave the mysterious potion, that was meant for Nepheli, to her father, who promised to get rid of it. She was happy to not have to give it to her friend.
While she was at the Hold, she decided to check in on all her acquaintances, and was pleased to discover that Roderika had finally passed her spirit tuning certification. Good for her.
Talking to the tourney master to complete a quest, and bring back the Crucible Knight. Shaw was a least 5 levels stronger now, and she was able to upgrade her sword once more. Surely this time right? Nope. Fuck, fuck, fuck. “Fuck you Crucible Knight, I hate you so much,” Shaw whimpered while staring at the screen in desperation. Not one to be completely discouraged, Shaw headed for Commander O’Neil, and got destroyed all over again. “Fuck you too,” she mumbled as she licked her wounds and headed somewhere else.
And that is how she found the sick girl, who apparently people love? To be continued…
